Posted by Cindy on April 30, 2010
Classical Academic Press was so kind to offer me their God’s Great Covenant: Old Testament 2 Bible curriculum for review. I could’ve chosen the first in the series, Old Testament 1, but decided on the second book because it covers the Bible from Samuel to Malachi. I don’t know about you, but I don’t find too many Bible curricula covering that period of the Bible from start to finish.
We’re already several lessons in and I just couldn’t wait to give this product the thumbs up!
Anyone who knows my teaching style knows that I appreciate historical sequence. It makes sense to me that Bible history and world history are taught in chronological order so that connections can be made and mental pictures drawn. I’ve completed many varied Bible curricula and historical fiction books that teach Genesis through Moses fairly well, but I have yet to find something really good for the times following Israel entering the Promised Land.
Up until now, the main product we used was The Child’s Story Bible
by Catherine Vos along with The Victor Journey Through the Bible
. Both are awesome, by the way! But, God’s Great Covenant: Old Testament 2 has given me the workbook study feel that I was looking for.
(Yes, I know, most of the time you hear me say I DON’T want a workbook! Remember that I find value in all sorts of education – even workbooks within reason. And we have never completed anything “workbook-like” with this section of the Bible, so it was time. 
)
Student Key Facts Page
Here’s a quick overview of of God’s Great Covenant: Old Testament 2
- It’s written for children 3rd grade or older.
- It comes with a Student Notebook and a Teacher’s Guide. The Teacher’s Guide includes everything just the same as the Student Notebook with additional teaching notes and answer keys. The additional notes are very helpful and there are plenty of places for you to keep your own notes, too.
- Lessons move along chronologically.
- Each lesson includes a nice-sized synopsis of the Bible text (2-3 pages), or you can choose to read directly from the Bible – the references are included.
- Each lesson includes a key Bible verse, key facts & vocabulary that you will need to know about the lesson, and a key question to consider about the lesson.
- After reading through the lesson and the things mentioned in the bullet above, 2-4 worksheets follow that help your child review the material learned. From the Bible reference and the key facts/vocabulary page, several small sections of questions and fun games are derived. Your child will complete fill-in-the-blank activities, matching, multiple choice, mazes and word games. The worksheets always end with a short activity for your child to look up additional verses in the Bible that relate somehow to the Bible lesson.
Student Workbook Page
The back of the book provides lots of wonderful helps and charts for you and your child. You’ll find:
- A Memory Verse Summary for each of the five units, which you can choose to copy and post if you like.
- A Pictures of Jesus in the Old Testament guide that makes connections about how the Old Testament was continually pointing to the need for and the coming of Jesus as our Savior.
- Two charts that help you understand the Psalms and Proverbs.
- Charts showing the Kings and Prophets.
- A brief summary about the time period between the Old and New Testaments.
- A thorough glossary.
- Four very clear and helpful gray-scale maps.
- Two additional pages of review worksheets for each lesson should you choose to use them.
Teacher's Guide Page
Five units each have 6-7 lessons. The lessons are meant to take one week each to complete, but we were able to complete most in 1-2 days. If you take your time with the book, it can last an entire school year. (I don’t meander around with much. 
) Lesson units include:
- The Early Kingdom…The God Who Anoints
- The Glorious Kingdom…The God Who Blesses
- The Divided Kingdom…The God Who Reigns
- The Remnant Kingdom…The God Who Judges
- The Exiled Nation…The God Who Rescues
You will need one workbook per child since there are no rights given to copy the pages within your homeschool. Oh, and I’m still using The Victor Journey Through the Bible alongside this study. It goes along perfectly with the lessons and gives an extra visual understanding that I feel is important for cementing the information. Quite simply, we read the God’s Great Covenant lesson then open The Victor Journey Through the Bible book to see if there is anything we might like to see or read. It only adds a couple of extra minutes to the lessons.
My children have enjoyed our Bible time as they look forward to the “fun pages”. See what can happen when you limit workbook time? Your children start to call them fun pages!
Posted by Cindy on April 28, 2010
One of the end-of-the-year writing projects I gave the kids was to research any country of interest around the world and create a report and presentation.
Mahayla chose Uganda since her Sunday school class sponsors a child from Uganda through Holt International. The project became very personal and worthwhile for her as she learned more about the area where her little friend, Ruth, lives.
Caleb chose South Africa since we recently learned about Apartheid and Nelson Mandela during our 20th century history studies. The project helped him distinguish between a current day country and how it is alike and different from the United States.
I only gave a few parameters for the reports/projects:
- The report needed to include nice-sized paragraphs, correct grammar/punctuation/spelling, and be more than simple facts. In other words, I wanted them to infuse a little opinion into the information, too.
- They had to include at least the following topics, but could include others if desired: where in the world (maps), a brief history, current day culture such as food, clothing, homes, etc., things that are native to the country such as animals and crops, how Christianity is accepted and what other religions are popular, and if any famous missionaries ever worked there.
- The project board needed to be colorful and visually pleasing, as well as providing the audience something to look at as the presentation was made.
I continue to be amazed at how much ownership my children take in their learning when preparing for a project!
Posted by Cindy on April 26, 2010
This is Tony, my music minister from the church where I grew up. Tony has always been very active in serving others in the name of Christ. For the past 25 years, he’s worked monthly to organize food and helpers to serve the needy at the local soup kitchen. We were blessed to help serve again this April.
The menu:
Day old pizza donated by Papa John’s
Salad
Corn
Fruit
Day old desserts donated by Kroger
After all the food has been served, we eat right alongside those we’ve just served. It’s a humbling and honor-filled place to be.
A day of school spent serving ranks higher than any other.
Posted by Cindy on April 19, 2010
Have you ever noticed how nature and history study often go hand in hand? A recent trip to McConnell Springs in Lexington, KY was yet another nature/history trip that was full of great fun AND learning!
A nature trail leads you on a beautiful walk to find the springs, creeks and other historical markers that grace this wetland area where Lexington, KY got its name.
The educational center provides older and younger children with a scavenger hunt sheet. If they are able to complete most of the sheet, a small prize is awarded at the end of the hike. The scavenger hunt encourages the children to find nature related items and learn about the history of the springs from the signs located along the trail.
On many of our nature walks at home, the dogs tends to scare off all the critters. We were able to observe lots of wildlife here! This big guy was sunning on the edge of a pond while its friend was nearby poking its head out of the water.
This was one of the largest frogs I've seen in person - and one of the few that ever sat still for my camera. It was found near a small cave entrance. I think it's a green frog.
Itty-bitty tent caterpillars were crawling everwhere. They'll become moths later this summer.
Sorry the picture isn't better, but one of the neatest finds was this gall on a goldenrod stem from last year. The naturalist on site told us the Goldenrod Gall Fly lays eggs inside the stem making the gall. The larva actually live in the stem during the fall and winter then eat their way out in the spring.
I found a simple explanation of the process with photos here.
I took lots more pictures from the hike, but I'll spare you. Once returning to the educational center, there's a room where children (and adults) can go to learn all sorts about native KY wildlife and plant life. We spent almost an hour in the educational center alone!
This was a great trip! If you live near Lexington, it’s a super spot to spend the afternoon. Oh, and it’s free!!
Posted by Cindy on April 13, 2010
Welcome to the Charlotte Mason Carnival! What joy it is to be back into the busy and boisterous season of spring again! Birds calling, frogs croaking, bees humming and children laughing are all sounds that have made me smile so far this spring.
My children and I would like to invite you along to see some of the sights as we take a woodland walk. Don't hesitate to stop here and there to take a rest in order to read all the lovely posts along the trail!
The sky is perfectly blue and the temperatures are in the mid-70's. It's the perfect day for a walk in the woods.
Redbuds! What a sight to behold as we enter the woodland.
Rest Stop #1 – CM Philosophy
Nancy from Sage Parnassus shares how a CM education often requires rethinking traditional schooling in The Stress of Education.
Keri from Sunny Scholars reminds us that Charlotte Mason intended for us to use our own Ideas and Thinking skills as parents.
Beth from Apples and Jammies reminds us slow down and be refreshed in Losing Focus.
Tiana from God Made, Home Grown talks about the joy of natural education vs. “Doing School”.
Beth from The Homeschool Post is thinking about next year and the fear of teaching older children in Homeschooling…(even) Highschool?
Flowers spread across the entire floor of the woodlands - violets, ground ivy, buttercups, nettle, and this - garlic mustard.
Mosses line several of the rocks and fallen trees, especially since we're nearing the creek.
Rest Stop #2 – Living Literature and Book Reviews
Samantha from To Be Busy at Home shares how she tames “antsy hands” in Keeping Hands Busy and Minds Engaged During Read-Alouds.
Amber from The Mommy Earth gives a very in-depth look into a living nature study book in Book Review: The Burgess Animal Book for Children.
I can’t remember if I already shared the about living listening literature, Jonathan Park CD’s, from The Curriculum Choice or not. Forgive me if I have.
Jill from History for Children shares about the Dear America series as living literature in The Oregon Trail.
Mama Squirrel from Dewey’s Treehouse shares a her opinions of Terrible Lizard, by Deborah Cadbury (book review).
The creek! It looks like recent high waters have left behind some flood debris.
Oops, sorry. Our nature walks involve lots of stops, not only to observe things, but to play as well.
Rest Stop #3 – Music and Art Study
Jimmie from Jimmie’s Collage shares how her Charlotte Mason homeschool is Beginning Hymn Study.
Barb from Harmony Art Mom gives you some ideas for Building on Picture Study: Part Two.
Alicia from La Famille shows her children’s latest art ventures in Artist Study – Henri Matisse.
Look up! Since the leaves aren't very big yet, we can see a hawk's nest in the huge sycamore tree.
It's a good thing we looked up! Take a look at those giant bracket mushrooms growing.
Rest Stop #5 – Living Math and Other Living Lessons
Makita from Academia Celestia inspires us to give our children living math lessons in Fractions :: Book Sharing Monday.
Julie from The Adventures of Bear gives you several living math ideas for little ones in Some Recent Math Activities.
Dawn from My 4 Sweetums celebrated the end of a study about the Middle Ages with the entire family in Medieval Party. She shares another fun family activity in Our Travels on the Silk Road.
How exciting! We've come upon a 10'x10' area of Virginia bluebells. Aren't they beautiful?
And look at the fossils embedded in this rock over here! They look like large pieces of bone to me, what about you?
Rest Stop #6 – Nature Study
Tiffany from Natural Family Living Blog gives a great overview of nature study in Natural Play for Teaching Science.
Jill from Children in the Midst takes you along on her spring nature walk in Beautiful Spring.
ChildBlessed from Kid Junkie shows you the blessings of a nature walk in Spring Has Come!
Kris from A Private Eye Nature teaches you The Basic Steps of how she uses the book The Private Eye for nature study.
Melissa from In the Sparrow’s Nest gives you a wealth of spring nature study ideas in April Nature Notables.
What's this? Oh, wow! We've never discovered signs of beavers before. What a wonderful find!
Sorry again. The kids want to finish the job the beaver started.
Timber!
What? You think you found the beaver's lodge?? Way cool!
Rest Stop #7 – More Nature Study
At Shining Dawn Books I explain the difference between two common nature study finds in Lichens vs. Mosses.
Dana from School For Us has been enjoying some exciting nature study while on vacation in Elephant Seal (Day 2).
Amy in Peru from Fisher Academy International takes you on a Biblical journey about The Why’s of Nature Study. And, in Nature Study on the Road she talks about how to take in nature during long trips.
Barb from Handbook of Nature Study and her children spent some time noting the weather in Our Spring Weather Observations.
Tammy from Adventures on Beck’s Bounty gives you a couple of indoor nature study ideas in Alternative Nature Study Ideas for When Your Family has the Plague.
Whew! It's been a long walk, but refreshing and beautiful. Looks like the trail is coming to an end. Thank you so much for walking with us!
Oh wait, the kids have spotted a dry creek bed. Shall we follow them?
Thanks for enjoying our walk with us! Barb at Harmony Art Mom hosts next time. Be sure to submit your articles here.
